‘The Kitchen’: Daniel Kaluuya & Kane Robinson Talk The Dystopian Drama, Individualistic Society, ‘Spider-Verse’ & More [The Playlist Podcast]

Not many actors-turned-filmmakers will swing for the fences in such a big way with their directorial debuts as Daniel Kaluuya has done with “The Kitchen.” Instead of making some small indie drama, Kaluuya, alongside co-director Kibwe Tavares, decided to go with a full dystopian sci-fi drama. But you better believe this is a film filled with a ton of heart at its core. And in this episode of The Playlist Podcast, Kaluuya, alongside lead actor Kane Robinson, stop by to talk about “The Kitchen.” 

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As mentioned, “The Kitchen” is a dystopian sci-fi drama about a man named Izi (played by Robinson) who is a resident of the last public housing complex in future London, dubbed The Kitchen. In this future, social housing, like the Kitchen, has been outlawed, so this thriving, close-knit community is under constant threat of law enforcement invasion. And Izi just wants to get out and go live life on the other side. However, when a young boy named Benji (newcomer Jedaiah Bannerman) comes into his life, he has to figure out if he’d rather do the selfish thing and leave the Kitchen and Benji behind or stand up for his community and fight back. 

In this interview, I got the chance to speak with both Kane Robinson and Daniel Kaluuya about the film. And we talk quite a bit about the message of the film.

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“I came across a quote—actually Nipsey Hussle mentioned it— ‘Would you rather be at war with yourself but at peace with the world, or would you rather be at peace with yourself but at war with the world?’” explained Kaluuya. “I feel like that’s what Izi is going through [in the film], as a person. I feel like that’s what the community is going through. I feel like that’s where we’re at, as a people. In the West, we’re a very individualistic society. It’s made us very divisive, with pocket watching and comparison. I feel like it robs us of a lot of joy and a lot of love.” 

And since we’re talking to the lead actor, as well as a filmmaker who has won an Oscar for acting, we dive a bit deeper into the performances on screen and what it’s like for Robinson to perform on set in front of Kaluuya. 

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“It was always good conversation,” said Robinson. “If anything, I just use it as an asset. It’s a major asset to me to be able to speak to someone who gets it. Even if you can’t articulate it. If you feel like something’s off, or you want to try something, he’s always open. And he’s not only a director and a great actor, but he’s the writer, as well. You don’t really want the writer on set. [Laughs] Especially if you’re trying not to say something or change something [in the script]. He was always just open to how we can make this truer.”

And you better believe I had to talk to Kaluuya about “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” where he voiced Hobie Brown, aka Spider-Punk. After that film arrived last year, Spider-Punk broke out as one of the fan-favorite new characters, which is something that shocked the actor.

“It caught me off guard,” said Kaluuya about Spider-Punk’s popularity. “I was saying certain words, and they were like, ‘No, keep it real. Say this. I know you boys in London say this.’ And I was like, ‘Are you sure, bruv? No one will understand me.’ And they were like, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah.’ And it went nuts.”

He added, “I go around now, and a lot of people come up to me, like ‘My kids love you!’ And he’s not in the film that much. So I think that caught me by surprise. But I love ‘Into the Spider-Verse.’ That’s the film I watch with my niece. We love that. So, to be the voice of a character in the second [film] was just a pleasure.”

“The Kitchen” arrives on Netflix on January 19. You can hear the full discussion below:

The Playlist Podcast is part of The Playlist Podcast Network, which includes Bingeworthy, Deep Focus, The Fourth Wall, and The Discourse. We can be heard on iTunes, AnchorFM, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, and most places where podcasts are found. You can stream the podcast via the Spotify embed within the article or click on the lead image at the top page. Follow us on iTunes, and you’ll get this podcast and our other shows regularly. Be sure to subscribe and drop us a comment or a rating, as we greatly appreciate it. Thank you for listening.